Friday, February 28, 2014

February 28, 17:43 The Russian foreign ministry has
admitted that armoured units from the Black Sea Fleet base near Sevastopol had
entered Crimea in order to protect fleet positions. “The Ukrainian side was
also passed a note regarding the movement of armoured vehicles of the Russian
Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, which is happening in full accordance with the
foundation Russian-Ukrainian agreements on the Black Sea Fleet,” the ministry
said in a statement posted on its website on Friday afternoon. In the same note
the Russian foreign ministry said it had declined a Ukrainian request for
“bilateral consultations” on events in Crimea because they are “the result of
recent internal political processes in Ukraine.”

Few hours ago it was noticed by Ukrainian border
guards that a group of app. 10 military helicopters is heading from Kerch
(Russian Federation) to somewhere in Crimea. You may look at these choppers at

Ex-President Viktor Yanukovych has called press conference in Rostov (Russian Federation) not far from Ukrainian border. Nothing
but rumors was known about where he is since last week. It was said that
he was "not overthrown", but was forced to leave Ukraine after threats to his life. He told a news
conference that he will fight for his country. As about those who removed him
from leadership he called them as "young neo-fascist thugs". Victor Yanukovich
also said that he got a refuge in Rostov from his old friend.

KIEV,
Feb. 27 (Xinhua) The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday approved a cabinet led
by new Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk (1).
The new interim government, which has gathered well-known politicians and
prominent figures of the anti-government protests, was supported by 331
lawmakers of the 411 present in the parliament. Earlier in the day, 358
legislators supported a bill to dismiss the former government. The parliament
approved Vitaly Yarema (2), a
lawmaker from the "Fatherland" party, as first deputy prime minister.
Meanwhile, far-right politician Alexandr
Such (3) and businessman Vladimir
Groysman (4) were appointed deputy prime ministers. Former Foreign Minister
Borys Tarasyuk (5) was named deputy
prime minister for European integration, while Ostap Semerak (6), a former adviser to Yatsenyuk, became minister
of the cabinet. Andriy Deshchytsya (7),
a veteran diplomat, was given the foreign affairs portfolio, while Admiral Igor Tenyukh (8), former commander of
the Naval Forces of Ukraine, became defense minister. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov (9), who was appointed
earlier this week, has kept his post. Pavlo
Sheremeta (10), a well-known political analyst and founder of the
Kiev-Mohyla Business School, was made economy minister, while Alexandr Shlapack (11) took the post of
finance minister. Oleg Musiy (12),
the coordinator of the protesters' medical camp, was named health minister;
actor Eugene Nischuk (13), a
narrator who was cheering protesters from the stage during the anti-government
rallies, became culture minister, while Dmytro
Bulatov (14), an activist who was severely beaten during the protests, was
appointed as youth and sports minister. Maksym
Burbak (15), a lawmaker from the "Fatherland" Party, was approved
as infrastructure minister and his comrade Lyudmyla
Denysova (16) became social policy minister. Lawmaker Pavlo Petrenko (17) was appointed as justice minister and Sergiy Kvit (18), president of the
National University of Kiev-Mohyla Academy, took the post of education and
science minister. Lawmaker from "Svoboda" party Igor Shvaika (19) became agriculture minister, his party ally Adnriy Mokhnyk (20) became ecology
minister, while Yury Prodan (21),
who served as energy minister in 2007-2010, was appointed as minister of fuel
and energy. Earlier in the day, Yatsenyuk said that the main task of his
government is to lift Ukraine's economy, preserve the territorial integrity of
the state and follow the course toward European integration. Describing the
members of the new cabinet as "political kamikaze," Yatsenyuk said
that his government has to make unpopular decisions, which would displease many
Ukrainians in the short term.

The rising tide of demolition of remaining
monuments to Vladimir Lenin has finally reached Poltava. On February 21, soon
after the bloody events on EuroMaidan in Kyiv the monument in Poltava was
toppled by furious crowd. You can see this video at

Two years ago I happened to visit Seattle
(Washington). United States of America was always in the forefront of struggle
against communism. Nevertheless the monument to Lenin in Seattle was erected in
1988 shortly before the fall of Czechoslovak communism during the 1989 Velvet
Revolution.

The monument to Lenin in Seattle

Despite popular belief, the monument
to Lenin in Seattle was not toppled in the demonstrations during the fall of
communism. Furthermore, it is pretty well cared by the local community. There
is a cozy cafe next to the monument and I must say that such a neighborhood
doesn’t annoy visitors at all. There are monuments to Lenin in Las Vegas, New
York City, Atlantic City (New Jersey). In Sweden there is a monument to Lenin
in Vittsjö.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

About hundred men armed with
Kalashnikov rifles and grenades seized the Crimean parliament and government
buildings early on Thursday morning. They hoisted a Russian flag over a
barricade. Those who occupying the parliament building in the regional capital,
Simferopol, did not come out to voice any demands. They wore black and orange
ribbons, a Russian symbol of the victory in World War II. The men also put up a
sign saying “Crimea is Russia.” Anatoly Mogilev, Crimea’s prime minister, tried
to hold talks with the rebels but they refused to explain their action or
negotiate, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported. An estimated 2,000 ethnic
Tatars gathered outside the Crimean Parliament in Simferopol to show their
support for Kyiv and a united Ukraine. There were scuffles with pro-Russian
separatists who denounced what they called “the bandits” who had seized power
in the Ukrainian capital.

( February 25, Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin
ordered an urgent drill to test the combat readiness of his armed forces across
western Russia on Wednesday, flexing Moscow's military muscle amid tension with
the West over Ukraine. Russia said the exercises were not linked to events in
Ukraine, where the ouster of a president who turned his back on the European
Union and sought closer ties with Moscow has raised worries in the West over
possibility of military intervention.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said
the training drills were not linked to events in Ukraine,
and Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov said they had been previously
planned. He said they would involve about 150,000 military personnel. The western
district encompasses most of western Russia
and borders Ukraine, which lies between
NATO nations and Russia. Forces must "be ready to bomb unfamiliar testing
grounds" as part of the drill, Shoigu told a Defence Ministry meeting.

The United States and European
nations have warned Russia against military intervention in Ukraine, a former
Soviet republic that Putin has called a "brother nation" and wants to
be part of a Eurasian Union he is building in the region.

Russian officials have said Moscow
will not interfere in Ukraine, while accusing the West of doing so. Interfax
cited the speaker of the upper parliament house, Valentina Matviyenko, as
saying on Wednesday it would not use force. But Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev
said on Monday that Russia's interests and its citizens in Ukraine were under
threat, language reminiscent of statements justifying Russia's invasion of
Georgia in 2008, when he was president.

Shoigu said the drill would also
test the counter-terrorism measures in place at military units. Russian
officials have referred to some of the Ukrainian opposition forces whose
protests pushed Yanukovich from power as "terrorists".

On
25 February 2014 acting Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov signed a
decree on the dissolution of the elite Berkut police unit. The unit had
4,000-5,000 members stationed across Ukraine. It is still not clear what will
happen to many Berkut officers, but acting interior minister said more details
would be given in a briefing on Wednesday.

The
history of Berkut Police Unit

The order to organize the OMON (Special Purpose
Police Unit) in the USSR was issued in 1987. The first units in theUkrainian Soviet Socialist Republic were formed in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk,
Odessa, Lviv and Donetsk and were based on selected units of Soviet Internal
Troops of the Ministry of Interior Affairs. After the disintegration of the
Soviet Union it was decided to organize such units in every regional center as
part of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine. On January 16, 1992 the order was
issued to create quick reaction force (QRF) units "Berkut", which was
fully implemented by the start of 1993.

Defensive
line of "Berkut" unitmen in riot gear by the building of the Cabinet
of Ministers during 2013 Euromaidan protests.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A video that is still circulating on social media shows Yanukovich’s toilet in his former 129-hectare
estate at Mezhgirya near Kyiv. The following
link will let you to see this video (sorry for comments told in Ukrainin
language, but as it comes to visiting a toilet, probably it is not so much
important ).

The line of automobiles starts more
than a mile away. as thousands of Ukrainians pour into the neighborhood of
Mezhyhirya, about 10 miles from the center of Kiev. They are on a pilgrimage to
see the palace of former President Viktor Yanukovych, a man on the run. "Palace,"
it turns out, is an understatement. The massive estate is estimated at 340
square acres, with a main home, a guest house, an enclosed garage the size of
an urban parking deck, a spa, a meeting hall, a zoo, a golf course, a ballroom
(still under construction) and a galleon on the Dnieper River. Nearly every
interior surface of the palace is stamped with gilding. Inlaid floors, marble
mantels, and phalanxes of statues adorn the rooms. A white baby grand Steinway
stands at the ready in a yawning entertainment hall with 20-foot ceilings and
winking chandeliers. A coat closet bigger than many New York apartments still
holds clothing—a half dozen men's dress coats in a palette of hues, many woven
of fine cashmere. More casual coats bear labels by well-known European
designers such as Loro Piana and Bruno Cucinelli. Guarding the house is a
volunteer militia—young men in their teens and 20s—sporting patchwork uniforms.
They appear to have successfully protected it from looters, as the interior is
in relatively undisturbed condition.

Ukrainians aren't allowed into the
main house, but the young militia give tours to journalists, including a group
from CNBC. "He thought he was the king," one of the guards, Alexey
Tolovid, 21, said of Yanukovych. "But then, it all came to an end."

CNBC's
chief international correspondent, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, tours the palace of
ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. You may attend it by clicking at

Nine Marines have been
deployed to the U.S. Embassy in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, at the request of
the State Department, an official said Tuesday. There was no immediate word on
any specific threat to the American facility beyond the turmoil that has
gripped the city and driven out former President Viktor Yanukovych. The Marines
are from a unit based in Quantico, Va., that is dedicated to reinforcing
security at embassies worldwide.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Ukrainian opposition leader
and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been freed from the hospital
where she was held being under prison guard after being convicted in 2011. Ukraine
opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko said "a dictatorship has fallen"
following her release from prison. "All must be done to ensure protesters
did not die in vain", she added.

Ukraine opposition leader
Yulia Tymoshenko hugs someone as she is released from prison. Credit:
REUTERS/Stringer

KYIV, February 22 /Ukrinform/. UDAR Party leader Vitali Klitschko has
called on MPs to meet the demand of the Maidan and adopt a resolution on
the president's impeachment. He said this from the rostrum of the Verkhovna Rada on Saturday, a Ukrinform correspondent reported. "The opposition initiates the adoption of a Verkhovna Rada resolution
demanding that Viktor Yanukovych step down [as president], which will be
a legitimate reason for setting the date for early presidential
elections," Klitschko said.

He said that the elections should be held, in accordance with the Constitution, no later than May 25, 2014.

Klitschko called on all Ukrainian citizens to maintain peace and in no
way yield to provocations to inappropriate actions. "The parliament will
do its best to return the situation in the country to normal," he said.

The Verkhovna Rada on Saturday adopted
resolution No. 4166 on the implementation of Ukraine's international
obligations regarding the release of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia
Tymoshenko from prison.

KYIV,
February 2213:32

Batkivshchyna MP Arsen
Avakov has been appointed acting Ukrainian interior minister. A total of 275
MPs voted for such a decision on Saturday.

KYIV,
February 2212:55

Batkivshchyna MP
Oleksandr Turchynov has been appointed chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of
Ukraine. A total of 288 deputies voted for such a decision on Saturday. Independent
MP Petro Poroshenko was also nominated for this post, but he withdrew his
candidacy in favor of Turchynov.

KYIV,
February 2211:30

The law on reinstating
certain provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine, which envisages the return
to the country's main law of 2004, has been sent to Ukrainian President Viktor
Yanukovych for signature, according to the website of the Verkhovna Rada. As
reported, on February 21, 386 MPs voted for the law on a return to the 2004
Constitution. The main law of 2004 envisages a return to a
parliamentary-presidential form of government in Ukraine.

KYIV,
February 2210:36

Volodymyr Rybak has
tendered his resignation as Verkhovna Rada chairman for health reasons. Verkhovna
Rada Deputy Speaker Ruslan Koshulynsky said this at a parliament meeting on
Saturday. "Rybak has written a statement due to an illness with the
request to relieve him of the duties of the Verkhovna Rada chairman,"
Koshulynsky said.

KYIV,
February 2119:14

The Verkhovna Rada has
passed a law that helps release former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia
Tymoshenko from criminal liability. A total of 310 MPs voted for bill No. 2023
introducing amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code of
Ukraine on the introduction in national legislation of the provisions of
Article 19 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption. Party of
Regions MP Hanna Herman said that she had always wanted Tymoshenko to be
released. However, she expressed regret that this bill had been submitted by
independent MP Inna Bohoslovska, who, she says, "put Tymoshenko in
prison." Parliament Speaker Volodymyr Rybak closed a parliament session
after the adoption of the bill.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Fighting has erupted in central Kiev after
pro-European protesters marched on the Ukrainian parliament to show support for
a demands for constructional reform being debated today. Clashes broke out at at least three separate locations
in the city centre as marchers converged on parliament at about 11 AM this
morning. Police used stun grenades, tear gas and baton round in a bid to hold
protesters back, while protesters set fire to true barricades and attacked with
stones and fireworks, local media reported. Footage from the city centre showed
activists throwing riot officers out of a police van which was later set on
fire. As fighting escalated the central office of President Viktor Yanukovych’s
Party of the Regions was also set ablaze.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

A ribbon with the colours of the Ukraine flag which symbolises the
revolution is placed at a road block at Kiev's Independence square on February
4, 2014. The crisis has sparked tensions between the West, which is considering
sanctions against Ukrainian officials, and Russia, which has accused the EU and
US of interference in Ukraine. AFP PHOTO / Angelos Tzortzinis

The United States and Europe may finally be ready to put some real
emergency aid on the table as part of an
effort to resolve the political crisis in Ukraine and to tie the country more
closely to the West. Without such an offer of financial support, Russia will
continue to have leverage to bully Ukraine into its geopolitical orbit. The
standoff over economic policy and whether Ukraine will ally with Europe or
Russia is more than two months old and has led to violent protests in which at
least six people were killed.

Details of the aid package are still under negotiation in Europe and the
United States, but there should be little doubt about the need. Ukraine’s
economy is on the brink of failure and its politics has been in turmoil since
the president, Viktor Yanukovych, rejected an economic pact with Europe in
favor of an offer from Russia for $15 billion in assistance. Russia, playing
hardball after Mr. Yanukovych announced plans to replace his cabinet to appease
protesters, last week suspended a portion of the aid and thus left an opening
for the Americans and Europeans to make their own offer.

The Western package is mainly intended as bridge financing to get a new
Ukrainian government, if one is formed, through a transition period so it can
make the sufficient reforms needed to qualify for a long-delayed loan from the
International Monetary Fund. The West is looking for a government of experts,
possibly led by an opposition leader.

There is undoubtedly risk because it is not at all clear that Mr.
Yanukovych and the opposition can find any basis for real compromise, or, if
they do, make it work over the long term. But the West needs to be even more
committed than Russia in offering Ukraine a compelling path forward. And it
needs to move quickly. Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy
chief, told The Wall Street Journal over the weekend that the package could
include not just money but loan guarantees, investment and currency
stabilization.

In the past two weeks, Vice President Joseph Biden Jr.; Chancellor
Angela Merkel of Germany; and José Manuel Barroso, the president of the
European Commission, the European Union’s executive body, have been in daily
and rotating contact with Mr. Yanukovych.

It was reassuring to hear Secretary of State John Kerry tell a security
conference in Munich over the weekend that “nowhere is the fight for a
democratic, European future more important today than in Ukraine” and to affirm
that the United States and Europe “stand with the people of Ukraine in that
fight.” That will mean providing the parties in Ukraine with whatever mediation
and support might be useful.

During the Munich conference, Mr. Kerry met with Ukrainian opposition
leaders as did the German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Diplomatic
contacts are essential. But as long as the situation remains volatile, with the
potential for all-out civil war, the West must also be prepared to impose
sanctions on any party that uses force but especially the government. The Obama
administration has already revoked the visas of some Ukrainian officials and is
preparing other sanctions if needed. The Europeans have been far more reluctant
to threaten penalties, although, on Tuesday, Mr. Steinmeier raised the
possibility of sanctions.

Ukraine, one of the most important countries to emerge from the former
Soviet Union, is at a critical point. Mr. Yanukovych’s grip on power is slipping,
yet, even after offering the opposition some concessions, he is still playing
for time under the sway of Russian and Ukrainian hard-liners. The opposition
also needs to negotiate seriously on a way out of the current turmoil.